Editorial: Returning troops need our support, our sacrifice

From the very beginning, we said the case had not been made to invade Iraq. Not long after that, the case that the Bush administration did make began to unravel.

And now, nearly nine frustrating years later, the war is officially over.

Mission accomplished? Depends on which mission, because they kept changing, along with the rationales for staying in Iraq. Saddam Hussein was run out of office, but the democracy that was to be installed remains elusive.

But there is nothing more American troops can do. The Iraqis don’t want us there. It makes sense for us to oblige by leaving.

The U.S. military tried. Boy, did it try. It’s impossible to imagine another fighting force that would sacrifice as much in an effort to introduce the concept of freedom. Alas, what is so familiar to us remains foreign to them.

As of Thursday, a total of 4,487 American service members died and 40,350 were wounded. Iraqis paid an even heavier price, with at least 103,775 deaths.

The facts and figures tend to have a numbing effect, but we can’t allow ourselves to ignore the pain.

We need to reach out to grieving families. We must do what we can to help returning soldiers heal, whether the wounds are physical or mental. Those who leave the military will struggle to find work. Those wrestling with mental demons will need care.

Merely thanking them for their service and moving on will only deepen the pain.

After spending more than $800 billion on the Iraq war, the federal government won’t be eager to spend more. But it must, because those who have sacrificed will need help as they attempt to re-enter normalcy. Yes, the budget is ugly and the deficits are mounting, but that’s in part because we refused to finance this foray in the first place.

We hear a lot about the 1 percent, but the troops constitute another exclusive group: the only people who had to sacrifice. Nothing was asked of the 99 percent of Americans who have gone unscathed. No new taxes. No new deprivations. No need to mourn. This gave many Americans a reason not to pay attention.

That has to end. It is time for the rest of us to sacrifice as a result.

A recent U.S. Senate- commissioned survey found that 70 percent of Veterans Affairs medical facilities lack the staff and resources to handle current caseloads, and those loads will expand as returning troops funnel back into the country and seek help. The 21 suicides among Spokane-area veterans between the summers of 2007 and 2008 show the vital need for available care that veterans can quickly access.

The troops have done enough. Some would say too much. There’s no better way to thank them than to finally accept our share of the burden.